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Topic: 7-Eleven Dumps AIS Services (Read 886 times)

No more top ups for your 1-2 call cards and other ais services in 7-Eleven convenience stores any more, reports khaosodenglish.com. AIS services remain available at Tops, Big C, Tesco Lotus and Family Mart.

that's a lot of money there turning away there,as people who get there top up card normally buy something else whilst in the store,so if they get there top up card,say at lotus express,then that's where they will also get there other commodities at the same time.

While the dispute between Advanced Info Service (AIS) and 7-Eleven over commission for mobile top-up services have left both sides bruised, it appears that the country's largest mobile operator is taking the brunt of the tussle.

CP All Plc, the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores, has banned AIS's mobile top-up services at its stores and is facing inevitable revenue loss.

More importantly, the disputes have caused consumers significant inconveniences.

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), meanwhile, says it does not plan to intervene in this case, stating the regulator has no legal authority to interfere in a personal commercial deal.

CP banned the refill of AIS's prepaid mobile service early this month. The company said the ban was because of "normal unsettled commission deal".

As of June 2016, AIS had 33.5 million prepaid customers out of a total 39.4 million subscribers.

Titipong Khiewpaisal, senior vice-president for marketing of AIS, declined to elaborate on how sudden the financial impact will manifest after the ban, but he admitted that the ban was causing inconvenience to its prepaid customers.

"We completely disagree with 7-Eleven asking us to pay it commission at the same rate of DTAC or TrueMove," he said, adding that 7-Eleven and AIS have been in business together for 16 years.

7-Eleven wants to raise the commission for AIS's refill prepaid card value service to 6%, up from the current 4%. If AIS customers top up 100 baht, the convenience store operator earns a commission of four baht.

Mr Titipong argued that AIS generates much more top-up commissions than its smaller rivals because the company has 51% service revenue market share in the overall mobile market.

Without 7-Eleven as the refill channel, Mr Titipong said AIS customers can refill credit on their mobile phones through almost 130,000 of its partners' online top-up machines nationwide.

Of the total, there are 90,000 Boonterm online top-up service machines operated by Forth Smart Service (FSMART); 30,000 through Singer online top-up machines; and 7,300 Feel-top machines owned by Thanatat Solution.

In addition, customers can top up their cards at 350,000 AIS dealer shops nationwide; 40,000 ATMs of 11 commercial banks; and 5,000 service points at modern trade and convenience stores.

It's undeniable that 7-Eleven is the most recognisable convenience retailer in Thailand due to its vast network of franchises.